Politics

For many years wildlife conservationists, and animal rights and welfare activists have been campaigning against China and southeast Asia’s live animal wet markets and wildlife consumption. By Richard Peirce* The probable vectors, or transmission agents which enabled the 2002/3 SARS virus to reach humans was bats to civet cats to […]

A copy of the reply from the Minister’s office, to reader and commentator Julian May’s latest email to her: “Dear Mr May Thank you for your correspondence of 28 April 2020, to the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Shelley Hancock MP, regarding Coffs Harbour City Council’s Cultural and Civic […]

The following is a link to this mornings interview by Moffey with CHCC Mayor, Denise Knight. It focusses on what happened at the last Council meeting a week ago and asks the Mayor to explain what the outcome means. https://omny.fm/shows/triple-m-coffs-breakfast/mayor-denise-knight-explains-the-latest-pause-on-t

In one of the world’s richest countries, the finance minister may soon need to break the spending record he just set. By Mikael Holter For Jan Tore Sanner, the 55-year-old who’s been running Norway’s finances since January, that’s not really a problem thanks to a couple of choices his country […]

“Pestilence is so common,” writes Albert Camus in The Plague: There have been as many plagues in the world as there have been wars, yet plagues and wars always find people equally unprepared. When war breaks out, people say: ‘It won’t last. It’s too stupid.’ And war is certainly too […]

The Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock has issued Armidale Regional Council with a notice of intention to suspend it for three months and appoint an interim administrator. It follows serious concerns about the council’s ability to function properly and effectively following a breakdown of relationships between councillors and key […]

Responding to COVID-19 required governments to make hard choices with enormous consequences. The biggest were whether to let the disease rip, lock it down, or strike out in search of a middle ground that delivered the best of both worlds. By Richard Denniss Different leaders made different decisions and will […]

The success of the National Cabinet’s operation during the pandemic could be a model for a better type of government, By John Wren On Monday 11 May ABC’s Q+A current affairs show (full episode linked below) featured the premiers of Australia’s three biggest states on its panel: Daniel Andrews of […]

This week as New South Wales eased its Coronavirus restrictions, 10 concerned community members went out to Myrtle State Forest located just an hour south of Casino in Northern NSW. Logging is planned to commence in this forest in the coming weeks. On 3 March 2020 the Environment Protection Authority […]

Australia Bureau of Statistics data has confirmed the massive economic hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, with total hours worked across the economy officially falling 9% between early March and early April 2020. By Matthew Gray and Nicholas Biddle. Read more: Were it not for JobKeeper, unemployment would be 11.7%, up […]